Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Dining Room Vintage Botanical Calendar Wall Art

This post has been a long time coming. A while back, my sweet, sweet friend Stephanie {Cre8ive Designs, Inc.), knowing I'm a big fan of botanical art, mailed me a vintage calendar (from 1965!) that she wasn't using and was thoughtful enough to reach out to me and ask if I'd be interested in it. When I said, "of course!" she mailed it to me from California! I was beyond thrilled and so excited to receive it and see the gorgeous images inside that look like beautiful watercolored paintings.

I knew I wanted to hang a grouping of them, but didn't want to spend a fortune on frames, so I went with my $5 WalMart frames without a mat.

I hung them immediately in my dining room, but did a terrible job- they were totally uneven and I grouped all 8 together on a larger wall opposite the window. They hung that way for months until my husband was kind enough to rehang them perfectly straight for me onto two walls. He is so good at hanging pictures, curtain rods, etc., but HATES doing it, complains constantly the whole time, and chides me for not being able to do it myself. I don't mind, because in the end, it looks like this:

Straight!

See how unique and pretty the images are?!

And I kept the calendar part exposed because I thought it added great character to the art.

So I have to give a big ole hug to my friend Stephanie. I'm so glad I am finally getting to share with you how the calendar looks framed and hanging in our dining room. And I am so touched that she thought of me and cared enough to consider what would look nice in my home. I really do take the suggestions of readers to heart and often find myself incorporating your opinions into my design process at home.

And you know how I "met" Stephanie? When I found her Pantry Makeover, and then, being so impressed with her fabric lined walls, emailed her to ask about how she did it. She wrote me right back and we quickly started exchanging emails and checking in on each others' blogs. I actually ended up lining the back of our sitting room shelves with fabric too.

If you aren't familiar with Stephanie's story or her work, I encourage you to check it out. You won't be disappointed. This girl has major talent and, as you now know, a huge heart.

27 comments:

Your pictures look great - how kind of Stephanie! I had to laugh when you were describing your husband - that is how mine is to a tee! He is so good at all of the same things, but man alive that boy whines when he's doing it, lol. I just sit and listen because like you, I know the end result will be fabulous!

My husband has the same perfectionist character that enables him to hang pictures perfectly. He would love to hang them quickly without a care but he can't do it. So he always gets the job of hanging pictures in our house. Your pictures are beautiful!

How sweet of her! They look beautiful in your dining room. Your hubby did an excellent job of hanging them! Your drapes are gorgeous, Megan, as is your whole dining room. I also love your rug in your entry way.

Oh YAHOO! I finally get to see them hung. They look just as I imagined them when I first saw the calendar at the estate sale. I am so glad that you were able to use them, they were too pretty to be sitting in a closet at my house! Thanks for the kind words Megan, it was more my pleasure to give them to you than for you to receive them, they look awesome in the room.

Wow, these look great! This is inspiring me to frame some antique botanical prints that have been sitting around my house for a year and hang them on the walls instead of leaving them in a folder(a novel idea, I know!) Your house was beautiful right from the start, but all the touches you have been adding have elevated it to something really special.

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Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, I read every one! I try to answer questions in the comment section since many readers are "no reply" and so everyone can benefit from the response- so please check back. :)